Crawford’s Error Helps Phils Beat LA 3-2 in 10

Defense continues to be a problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who aren’t getting enough offense to compensate for it.

Left fielder Carl Crawford (L) #3 and shortstop Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers can’t make the catch on a ball hit by Carlos Ruiz of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 10th inning (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Carlos Ruiz reached second base when his flyball to short left glanced off Crawford’s glove as shortstop Hanley Ramirez nearly collided with him. Brown followed with a drive to the fence in left-center on a 1-1 pitch from J.P. Howell (1-2).

“We both were coming hard and came up short,” Crawford said. “Neither of us called for it. I didn’t think it was clearly my ball. I was in no-doubles (mode), so that’s a long run for me. But I still got to it. I just didn’t catch it. It was one of those things where it didn’t do our way that time.”

The error was the Dodgers’ 22nd in their first 21 games.

“What can I say? It just happened,” Ramirez said. “It’s a play that has to be made. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”

At least Ramirez got some good news Tuesday, when Major League Baseball rescinded an error he was charged with April 13 on a grounder by Arizona’s Chris Owings and credited Owings with a hit. But Ramirez gave it right back in the Phillies’ second inning when he misplayed Brown’s grounder after a single by Ryan Howard.

“It’s tough because we’re not hitting the way we want to right now, so defense is one of the things you have to do every day to help the pitchers out,” said Crawford, who drove in the Dodgers’ first run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth against A.J. Burnett.

“Things like that definitely make the errors more obvious, and you could see that it looks worse when it happens – like tonight. We’re not doing it right now in defense, so it’s something we definitely need to address.”

One night after Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee held the defending NL West champions to four hits through eight scoreless innings, Burnett took a four-hitter and a 2-1 lead into the seventh. But birthday boy Dee Gordon legged out a double to short right-center with one out, stole third and scored when pinch-hitter Justin Turner singled to left on Burnett’s 105th and final pitch.

“I gave Gordon a little bit too much of the plate on that pitch and he put a good swing on it and hit it up the middle,” Burnett said. “When he gets on base, he makes things happen.”

The right-hander allowed six hits, struck out four of his first eight batters and finished with five strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings. He also had a career-high three hits in three at-bats – all singles against lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, who allowed two runs and nine hits in six innings.

Burnett lined a single to right field leading off the third, and Yasiel Puig tried to throw the pitcher out without success. After Adrian Gonzalez took the throw, the 37-year-old pitcher stood on the bag and looked out at Puig with the palms of both hands facing downward as if to say: “Whoa, take it easy.”

“I knew he was going to do it,” Burnett said. “I know how he plays the game. He plays the game hard and he looks for outs in the outfield when he can get them.”

Burnett didn’t take it easy on Ryu, hitting another leadoff single in the fifth. He scored the game’s first run on a double by Marlon Byrd, and Howard followed with a sacrifice fly that drove in Ben Revere. Burnett got his third single of the game with two out in the sixth.

Antonio Bastardo (3-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the victory and Jonathan Papelbon got three outs for his sixth save, putting him within eight of 300.

NOTES: Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with a walk, ending his 16-game hitting streak. … Burnett’s multihit game was his fifth in the majors – all on the road. The other four came with the Marlins, most recently on Sept. 25, 2005, against Atlanta’s Jorge Sosa. … Revere tied a career high with four hits, three of them against Ryu. … Burnett was 0-4 with a 4.87 ERA in his previous four starts at Dodger Stadium.

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